RotA – Chapter 23

In the long tunnel leading to the Ninth District, armored vehicles drove steadily.

Chai Yuening had lost track of how long they’d been driving when empty vehicles began to pass them on the other side of the tunnel, heading in the opposite direction.

It seemed the first group of people to leave the Seventh District had already been safely delivered to the Ninth. These empty vehicles were returning to pick up others; it was just that those who had evacuated first had no idea what had truly happened in the Seventh District.

“Are we almost at the Ninth District?” Jing Mu asked in a low voice, watching the vehicles passing them outside the window.

“Almost,” You Lan replied softly. “But once we get to the district entrance, we’ll probably have to line up for infection screening.”

“With so many people, it’s sure to take a long time.”

“We won’t be getting a good night’s sleep tonight,” You Lan said, then muttered under her breath, “Maybe we’ll never get a good night’s sleep again.”

“Look on the bright side, you’re not the only one who won’t be sleeping well.” Chai Yuening made a small joke to lighten the mood.

However, the joke was clearly not very funny, and the atmosphere in the cabin grew even heavier.

The ensuing silence lasted for an unknown length of time, until You Lan spoke softly, as if in a dream: “The Base is done for, isn’t it?”

Jing Mu, who had just managed to calm down, felt her eyes redden once more.

“Don’t be a jinx,” Chai Yuening said.

“You’re right, I’m being pessimistic. Even if all the outer districts fall, the main city will definitely be able to withstand the mutated beasts’ attacks.” You Lan gave a bitter laugh. “But, how many people can the main city hold? With a limited number of spots, which group of people will be abandoned?”

As You Lan spoke, her gaze drifted hauntingly out the window.

Chai Yuening didn’t try to comfort her again, because she knew that every person on this vehicle, fortunate enough not to have been abandoned, had already witnessed an “abandonment” firsthand.

In this precarious world, who could say for sure if today’s luck would carry over to tomorrow?

She could only drive on in silence through the long tunnel, until she followed the vehicles ahead out of it, until she saw the dim yellow lights beyond the distant quarantine wall, and the kilometer-long line waiting for infection screening.

At the end of the line, Chai Yuening let everyone from the rest cabin and rear compartment out, only then driving toward the vehicle entrance a kilometer away.

The vehicle was stopped outside the entrance, and was only allowed to proceed after testing personnel had screened all four people on board.

Perhaps because of the special circumstances, the Ninth District had not cut power in the early morning hours. The incandescent lights on the streets were as bright as day.

The moment they entered the district, Jing Mu said softly from the back seat, “Captain Chai, my home is at C5-A1120.”

Chai Yuening nodded and drove her to the C5 residential area first.

After dropping off Jing Mu, Chai Yuening drove all the way to the Population Management Sub-bureau, trying to get a temporary residence assigned in the Ninth District, but was thoroughly deterred by the terrifyingly long line outside.

“The Ninth District is only so big, and the line is so long. By the time it’s our turn, there won’t be any places left,” Chai Yuening said. Then, suddenly remembering something, she turned to look at Chu Ci. “That’s right, didn’t you used to live here?”

Chu Ci nodded. “H12-C0305.”

Chai Yuening: “Do you still have the key card?”

Chu Ci fished a magnetic card from her person. “I do.”

You Lan was momentarily overjoyed. “That’s great! I thought we were going to be sleeping on the streets tonight!”

Chu Ci: “I don’t have anything there.”

You Lan: “At least it’s a place to stay. We can make do, we can make do.”

That’s what she said, but upon actually arriving at the residence, which hadn’t been lived in for a long time, You Lan couldn’t help but make a sound of disgust.

“Is this a place where people have lived?” You Lan stared at the completely empty house, her eyes full of disbelief. “Little treasure, before you got with Captain Chai, you really lived in a place like this?”

It turned out that when Chu Ci said there was nothing here, she wasn’t exaggerating.

Chai Yuening hadn’t really looked into the inner rooms the last time she was here. Only now, upon entering, did she realize that aside from a set of old tables and chairs in the living room and two tattered rags in the bathroom, the only other thing in the house was a narrow wooden plank bed in the bedroom.

The wooden plank bed was bare—no sheets, no bedding, no pillows, nothing.

“I had no money,” Chu Ci said, looking at You Lan. “I went to work for you, and you sent me to the detention center.”

“You…” You Lan was at a loss for words. Her fine brows knitted. She glanced at Chai Yuening, then looked back at Chu Ci. “You should have told me earlier you had a connection with Captain Chai. If you had, none of that would have happened, right?”

The more Chai Yuening listened, the more this conversation seemed to be heading in the wrong direction. She quickly poked You Lan’s arm. “Alright, alright. No matter how much you dislike it, we still have to clean up. It hasn’t been lived in for so long, it’s covered in dust, and we need to sleep here tonight.”

“When have I ever had to suffer like this? I just got my nails done yesterday…” You Lan complained with a sigh, but still walked into the bathroom, picked up a rag, and turned to shout, “You two can’t just stand there and watch. There’s another cloth here.”

Chu Ci was about to follow her in, but Chai Yuening beat her to it.

Chai Yuening: “I’ll do it. You’re still injured.”

Chu Ci pressed her lips together and didn’t argue, simply retreating to the doorway to lean against it and space out.

After a quick cleaning of the room, Chai Yuening ran downstairs, pulled a few large black cloths used for covering cargo from the armored vehicle’s rear compartment, and returned. She spread one on the bed and one on the floor, sighed softly, and said, “Let’s just make do for tonight. We’ll figure out what we’re missing tomorrow.”

In the quiet night, once the room’s light was turned off, only the sound of three people breathing remained in the small bedroom.

The only bed was given to You Lan, but it was obvious that she, who had never known hardship, tossed and turned on the cold, hard wooden planks, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

That night, many people couldn’t sleep. Chai Yuening was one of them.

She could feel how tired her eyes were, but even when she closed them, her mind remained incredibly active.

Her thoughts were in turmoil. Whether her eyes were open or closed, she would think of that slowly rising quarantine wall, of Ban Xiangming, whom she had barely met before, of the military police at the west exit maintaining order during the evacuation and helping one ordinary resident after another onto the armored vehicles, and of the empty vehicles on their return trip that had passed them.

The drivers of those military armored vehicles had safely delivered a group of Seventh District residents and, on their return trip, would pick up the survivors following on foot. But they would never again be able to pick up their former comrades-in-arms.

In the darkness, a soft, faint voice interrupted Chai Yuening’s chaotic thoughts.

You Lan: “Are you two asleep?”

Chai Yuening: “No.”

Beside her, Chu Ci turned over, clearly not asleep either.

You Lan: “Let’s talk. About anything…”

Chai Yuening: “About what?”

“I don’t know,” You Lan sighed softly. “I can’t sleep.”

“A conversation needs a topic,” Chai Yuening said softly, staring at the pitch-black ceiling. “Aren’t you the one who’s best at chattering? You start.”

“What do you mean, I’m the best at chattering? Is that any way to talk to someone?” You Lan grumbled under her breath in dissatisfaction, but after grumbling, she began to think seriously.

After a long moment of contemplation, she suddenly leaned over the edge of the bed and asked Chu Ci, “Hey, what’s your name?”

Chai Yuening’s eyelid couldn’t help but twitch.

She didn’t know what principle was at work, but even though the room was so dark, You Lan’s eyes were so bright.

It was the light from the burning fires of gossip.

Chu Ci: “Chu Ci.”

You Lan: “How long have you two been together?”

Chu Ci thought for a moment, then replied earnestly, “For a while now. Ever since I got out of the detention center…”

“So you’re close!” You Lan interrupted with a laugh before Chu Ci could finish. “Tell me, what do you think of Captain Chai?”

Chai Yuening: “You Lan…”

You Lan pouted. “What? The sky is about to fall, can’t you let a person have a little chat before they die?”

Chai Yuening couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

Seeing that Chai Yuening wasn’t stopping her anymore, You Lan asked again, “What do you think of Captain Chai? I mean, how does she treat you?”

Chu Ci thought for a moment. “She treats me very well.”

You Lan: “Oh~? How so?”

Chu Ci: “After I shower, she won’t let me sleep. She insists on drying my hair.”

You Lan: “Oh~~”

Chu Ci: “When I’m unhappy, she uses the method you told her about to cheer me up.”

You Lan: “Oh~~~”

Chai Yuening: “Stop with the ‘ohs’. You’re about to make a song out of it.”

Chu Ci paused, stunned, then said earnestly, “Boss You, your tone of voice is very strange.”

“Not strange, not strange at all!” You Lan sat up, waving her hand with a smile. “So, my bathtub has colored lights. You two have tried them, right?”

Chu Ci: “Mhm.”

You Lan: “It felt amazing, right!”

Chu Ci: “…Mhm.”

You Lan’s tone suddenly grew excited. “So which one did you like more…”

Chai Yuening: “Ahem! Ahem ahem…”

Wait, what are they even talking about?

How are these two, talking completely past each other, actually managing to have a conversation?

Chu Ci turned her head to look at Chai Yuening. “Did you catch a cold?”

Chai Yuening: “…”

You Lan said in an ambiguous tone, “Of course she’s caught a chill. She needs you to help warm her up.”

Chu Ci: “…?”

Chai Yuening took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, “Boss You, why didn’t I just leave you in the Seventh District to feed the mutated beasts?”

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Author’s Notes:

You Lan: I get it all~

Chai Yuening: You don’t get a damn thing.

Chu Ci: ?

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It seems I had accidentally updated chapter 16 with the content from chapter 18. I’ve fixed the issue now.

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